A Garden Lover’s Diary – August

Wow, August, here we are already. This is the moment when so many of us take off on our summer holidays, or these days so many of us stay put for our summer holidays! I’m going to be taking time off to explore some areas of the UK that I’ve not been to before - taking in inspirational gardens, parkland and the flora and fauna of the British Isles along the way. Have a great summer everyone!

Gardens to visit

There’s no better way to get ideas for your own garden than by exploring outstanding examples up and down the country, with a variety of different styles, eras and sizes. If you subscribe to BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine you should have the brilliant 2-for-1 garden entry card and guide. If not though, don’t despair! Order it here and be sure to take it with you on all your UK travels.

Most of the nurseries and growers that were in our Floral Marquee and Plant Village are open to the public either throughout the year or on special open days. Some have gardens and even run courses. Check out Apuldram Roses in Chichester, Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants in Hampshire and The Botanic Nursery in Atworth, Wiltshire and start planning some great British nursery visits!

If you didn’t get the very latest plants at the Show, you can get in touch with our Floral Marquee nurseries direct to buy the new plant launches including Heucerholics’ Heuchera Megan, Dibleys Nurseries’ Streptocarpus Manon and Begonia ‘Rosy Jewel’, and Floyds Climbers & Clematis Clematis Olympia.

If you’re staying in the UK this year, you can create an exotic environment at home by growing your own citrus! Inspired by Carluccio’s Fragole al limone recipe , we caught up with BBC Gardeners’ World Live expert Matt Biggs to get top tips for growing citrus plants successfully, including the best varieties and how to store the fruit.